Automobile frame



y 4, 1938. D. w. SHERMAN 2,118,365

AUTOMOBILE FRAME Filed Aug. 21,1953

' INVENTOR. Donald W. Sherman ATTORNEY.

. Patented May 24, I I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE FRAME.

' Donald'W. Sherman Milwaukee, Wis asslgnor to A. 0.- Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of. New York Application August 21, 1933, Serial No. I 686,020

2 Claims. (Cl. 280-406).-

This invention relates to an automobile frame frame to provide' strength. for supporting the and more particularly to one formed principally forward end of the engine '8 and the radiator of sheet metal channel sections and having two (not shown). As shown, it is constructed oi! an opposed channel side, rails and a plurality of inverted U-shaped sheet metal member having cross bars. 1 an upper horizontal web 9 secured at its ends to One of the major problems in designing modthe upper flanges 2 of the side rails, and having ern automobiles is the difliculty of eliminating lower side flanges 10 secured at their ends 'to objectionable vibrations and movements which .the lower flanges 3 of the side rails. occur when traveling over rough roads and at The cross bar 5 is located at the rear end high speeds and which. induce body squeaks and of the engine 8 for supporting the same and is 10 of the car.

rattles and a fear of lack of stability and safety of suitable sheet metalchannel section as shown. in the car. These vibrations and movements This cross bar may be eliminated, if desired, and

,- originate principally at the front wheels and the engine mounted on hangers on the side rails travel back through the frame to the main body or in any other suitable manner.

Experimental tests indicate that the difiiculty is formed of four diagonal channel-shaped legs may be largely overcome by increasing or varying and The inner ends 0f the e the stiffness ofthe chassis frame and its resistofthe member are joined together by any suit; ance to torsional and lateral weaving. In exable means such as theplates l5 and I6, riveted periments the X-type of crossmember has been. .to their upper andlower flanges i1 and I8, refound to have great resistance to the weaving spectively. The outer-ends of the legs are joined movements referred to. to the side rails l by riveting orwelding, as

However, due to the location of the engine at preferred; the forward end of the car, it is necessary to The cross bar I is at the rear endof the frame place the -X-cross member at the center or rear and may b y Suitable design. e 011- 25 of the car. Instead of eliminatingthe .undesirstruction shown is of li illm l Sec i n eable vibrations, this construction tends to localcured at its ends to the side rails ize the movements in the forward. end of the In the illustrated embodiment of the present car, thereby increasing the. frequency of the invention, the forward channel-shaped legs ll Vibrations t t end and making t more and 12 0f the X-member have their flanges I130 objectionable. and I8 facing the side rails, so that the forward The object of the present invention is to proends of the legs engage the side rail channels, Y vide a frame employing an X-type of cross memas shown, With the pp flanges the e her and in which the rigidity or the cross memen ag t e l wer surfa s of th upp r flan es The cross member '6 is. of X-construction and 15 her is transmitted to the forward end of the 2 of the side rails and the lower flanges i8 of the car, thereby preventing the'vibrations from enlegs engaging the lower surfaces of' the lower tering into the frame at their. source. flanges 3 of the side rails. The flanges of ,the

Other objects will appear hereinafter. legs may be arranged above the flanges 'of the The invention isillustrated in one embodiment side rails, or any other arrangement may be 4 in the accompanying drawing, inwhich: 7 suitable. 40

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the frame; The rear legs I! and I4 may have their flanges Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section on facing in either direction, those illustrated being line 22of Fig. 1; j inward sothat the legs flt into the side rails -Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on and'have their corresponding flanges and side line 3-3 of Fig. 1: and rails riveted together. 45

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section on The legs II and I2 meet the side rail adjacent line 0! 8- 1- the ends of the cross bar 5 or near the rear of The frame comprises, in general, two opposed the engine, and extend forwardly along the side sheet-metal channel side rails l' extending lonrails forming sub-rails l9 and 20, respectively.

5o gitudinally of the frame and each having its The flanges l1 and ll of the sub-rails are riveted flanges 2 and 3 facing inwardly. The side rails at suitable intervals to the flanges 2 and 3 of- I are joined by suitable cross members 4, I, 6, the side rails, as shown. The vertical webs 2| and I. s of the sub-rails l9 and 20 have suitable openings. The cross bar 4 is of conventional construc- 22 for the purpose or lightening the weight oftion and is located at the forward and of the the"'structure and to facilitate access to the'in- 5 openings are turned laterally to strengthen. the

web.

The structure of the side/rails as reeniorced by the sub-rails secured thereto for most of the length of the engine is essentially box-like and of considerable strength. 'However, the use of the struction in conjunction with the X-member 5 causes a vertical loading of the side rail bythe sub-rail and vice versa which establishes relative vertical movement between the two. come this dimculty the present invention provides a tie-brace 23 adjacent the outer ends of each of the forward legs ii and it.

These tie-braces 23 are of sheet metal and extend transversely of the frame between each forward leg of the X-member t and the adjacent side rail. 'Ihe tie-braces iit in the rear end of the box-like section and have outer flanges 2 secured by rivets 255 'to the vertical webs of the side rails i and inner flanges 26 secured by rivets 2! to the vertical webs of the legs i i and it.

Where the rear legs it and it are constructed similar to the forward legs, tie-braces may also be employed for them. However, in the construction illustrated, the vertical webs of the legs 83 and M are secured directly to the vertical webs of the side rails l and no tie-brace is needed.

in shear from the side rails to the X-member 6 and prevent too.great a flexibility of the memher with respect to the side rails.

At the forward end of the frame, a very rigid engine mounting is provided by extending the sub-rails it and ti? diagonally inward at 28 and connecting the same to the front cross bar ii intermediate its ends. This connection may be made in any suitable manner, the feature being to obtain a general strengthening against torsional and lateral weaving by the brace eflect of the diagonal struts 29 from near the center of the cross bar ii to the joining of the sub-rails with the side rails. Thestrength of the cross bar is also. materially improved, the stress carryingedlength of the bar being substantially shorten The forward end of the engine may be mounted either on the front cross bar t or the diagg onal braces 2e. ihe br 28 are preferably p is of particular advantage.

To over aliases curved downwardly to clear the engine, as shown, and for this p rpose the arrangement of the flanges of the sub-rails i9 and 20 beneath the flanges of the 'side rails as The cost of the frame and its fabrication diflicultles-are considerably lessened by making the leg Ii of the X-member 6, the sub-rail l9, and one of the braces 28 of an integral channel section, and likewise leg i2, sub-rail 20, and the corresponding brace 28 of an integral channel section, although it is possible to obtain some of the advantages by separate parts making up I these elements.

It is understood that instead of riveting the several parts together, as illustrated, they may be joined by welding, if desired.

Various modifications of the invention may be employed within the scope of the accompanying claims. r

I claim:

previously described A 1. In an automobile frame, two opposed sheet metal channel-shaped side rails extending longitudinally of the frame, a plurality of cross bars connecting said side rails transversely of the frame, a channel-shaped sub-rail extending parallel to each side rail for a predetermined distance and having its flanges facing the corresponding flanges of the side rail and secured The tie-braces 23 transm t the vert a loads thereto to prevent vibration and lateral weaving connecting said side rails transversely of the frame, a channel-shaped sub-rail extending parallel to each side rail for a predetermined dis- 1 tance and having its flanges facing the corresponding flanges of the side rail and secured thereto to prevent vibration and lateral weaving oi the side rails, the flanges of the sub-rails being disposed adjacent the flanges of the side rails, and one end of each sub-rail being curved downwardly below the plane of the side rails and inwardly for attachment to a cross bar.

DONALD W. SHERMAN. 

